Clinical Services

PATH is a community clinical day center supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. Individuals receive services in 2:1 or 1:1 consumer to staff ratios between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Consumers typically bring their own lunch, which is eaten during one of two distinct lunch periods. Transportation to and from PATH must be provided by the consumer. Additional services are available in consulting and to non-PATH related individuals.

Who can get services?Whereas PATH might offer services directly to private individuals and their families, services primarily serve as a resource to state controlled ICF/MR agencies or other such agencies as part of an individual's overall interdisciplinary service team. In this sense, services are typically contracted for and maintained through typical case manager, QMRP or program coordination personnel who arrange for an individual's community living services. PATH therefore follows state regulated service standards and is accountable for such expected levels of service delivery.

Service methodsPATH follows an empirical assessment and teaching philosophy. State-of-the-art Positive Behavior Analytic assessment, training and treatment methods are employed within a University professional training system. University faculty and experienced senior psychology graduate students administer and manage daily training and clinical operations in which supervised graduate and undergraduate students conduct assessment and training activities.

University teaching program service prioritiesKnowledge about assessment and treatment methods from professional publications and conferences is the only way that clinicians and teachers can improve their services for persons with intellectual disabilities. A major role of the University is to develop and maintain centers of excellence that contribute to that knowledge. Therefore, a major function of the PATH operation is to provide a professional training environment for future professionals. In order to maintain a center that provides such a teaching and clinical research experience, staff routinely collect and anonymously communicate relevant assessment and treatment information gathered from experiences with consumers to other professionals through professional meetings and publications. Individual consumers and/or their guardians are approached regularly for permission to use such information in anonymous ways for the purposes of such professional communication. Any and all personal information concerning consumers is kept in strictest confidence. Whereas the priorities must therefore be focused on assessment and training efforts that can later disseminate professionally, the program does offer services for individuals and their guardians who do not wish to provide permission for the anonymous use of their service derived information. Such services, however, are limited and subject to availability.